prof. Mazin Qumsiyeh, Bethlehem, Al Mazen Center for Human Rights, Gaza

Talk Nation Radio for October 1, 2009

Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh in Bethlehem, Al Mazen Center for Human Rights, Gaza


Produced by Dori Smith, Storrs, CT
TRT:29:45
Download at Pacifica's Audioport here
And at Radio4all.net and Archive.org.

Prof. Mazin B. Qumsiyeh is author of, "Sharing the Land of Caanan, Human rights and the Israeli/Palestinian Struggle". His soon to be released book is, "Hope and Empowerment: Civil Resistance in Palestine." We discuss Palestine, US President Barack Obama, the UN, the Goldstone Report, as Israeli war planes target Gaza's border with Egypt over three days time. Israelis predict more war between Israel and Gaza. Media conflicts over rockets from Gaza, Haaretz reporting Israel fired first.

Al Mazen Center for Human Rights in Gaza, describes the importance of the Goldstone Report. Her organization issued a Joint Report on Gaza with DCI, Defence for Children International, "Bearing the Brunt Again – Child Rights Violations during Operation Cast Lead." The comprehensive report is based on forty three case studies to illustrate the vast range of violations perpetrated by Israel, many of them deadly for children. Download PDF File of report: http://www.mezan.org/upload/9056.pdf

The Al Mezan Center and DCI endorse recommendations from Judge Goldstone's Mission including bringing Israel to the ICC, International Criminal Court should the Government of Israel fail to undertake timely independent and impartial investigations. South African Judge Richard Goldstone is the international law expert who prosecuted war crimes in Rwanda. Israeli leaders have hired an attorney to address any legal claims stemming from the his report on civilian casualties in Gaza during Israeli Operation Cast Lead.

As we talked about the report we read the headlines running across the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights web site: Three Israeli Air Raids on Gaza-Egypt Border, Israeli war planes launching missile attacks at Salah Ad-Din Gate south of Rafah Town, missile fired at Block G southwest of Rafah Refugee Camp, a tunnel bombarded in a raid with some casualties still inside, Israeli drone attacks at West Biet Lahiya Beach, two children injured by Israeli shelling at Al Mosadar Village, Middle Gaza District, a two storey house destroyed by Israeli artillery fire, twin boys injured as they dressed for school.

There were 43 case studies, confirming 353 children were killed during the aftermath of Israeli operation "Cast Lead." 116 of these children were killed in drone attacks, 66 of them died after Israeli forces obstructed medical access, and seven children were used as human shields by Israel with one child detained for ten days. Israeli attacks destroyed 18 schools, displacing 10,500 kids, and overall Israeli military actions resulting in the deaths of at least 623 children in the Gaza strip.

The Palestinian Authority Drops Support for Goldstone's Report, Pressure from Netanyahu AND Obama: [This report is not about Gaza leadership, or Hamas, and also does not claim that other agencies such as Al Mazen Center for Human Rights, Gaza, or DCI, have dropped calls to bring Israel to ICC.]

UPDATE: Last update - 23:47 01/10/2009
Source: Palestinians drop their endorsement of Goldstone's Gaza report By Barak Ravid and Natasha Mozgavaya, Haaretz Correspondents, 'The source added that the decision appears to be based on pressure from the Obama administration, exerted by way of U.S. representatives in Geneva, as well as through contacts between Washington and Ramallah'.

'Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated in recent days that efforts to use the Goldstone report to advance anti-Israel measures in the Human Rights Council or the International Tribunal in The Hague will deal a death blow to the peace process/.